campaign financing

Since being elected the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands in 2011, Elizabeth May has worked tirelessly to represent all her constituents in the House of Commons in a conscientious, non partisan manner. Elizabeth's dedication to being an outstanding parliamentarian has not gone unnoticed. Elizabeth was voted Best Parliamentarian of the Year in 2012, Hardest Working MP in 2013 and Orator of the Year in 2014.

But the recognition does not end there. Since 2011 the citizens of Saanich-Gulf Islands have increasingly recognized the valuable contribution Elizabeth makes not only to her riding but to parliament in general. She has championed more open and transparent government, more civility in the house and a spirit of trans-partisan cooperation with a focus of building a better Canada.

As a result, donations to her riding association steadily increased between 2011 and the election of 2015. Elizabeth and the Executive Committee of the EDA were humbled by this generosity but saw it as a vote of confidence from the community. Together with the campaign team they dedicated themselves to using these funds wisely.

So when the 2015 election was called, the SGI Electoral District Association was able to transfer almost $240,000 to "The Campaign to Re-Elect Elizabeth May" of which $215,092 was spent subject to the Election Expense Limits set by Elections Canada. As the excitement grew that Elizabeth would have more Green MPs join her caucus, and since our campaign was fully funded from local donations, we were thrilled to be able to also contribute $100,000 to the national campaign.

While the other campaigns were stifled by the overwhelming "Stop Harper" sentiment that swept our country, the voters of Saanich Gulf Islands did reward their MP with an even higher voter turnout than 2011 and a clear majority of over 54% of votes cast. This is especially impressive when we remember that Elizabeth was excluded from the leader's debates and that the Green Party of Canada has nowhere near the financial muscle of the other major political parties who spent tens of millions to run their national campaigns and promote their leader.